Saturday, April 28, 2012

Ever since I was a young teen, I have hated naked toes! What do I mean? Well, since I was around 12 or 13 years old, I have had to keep toe nail polish on my toes at all times! Seriously, if I see naked toes on me or anyone else, I feel sick to my stomach! I don't know why I feel this way, but I absolutely can NOT stand to see naked toes!

My hubby teases me about this because I make him wear socks on his feet at all times because if I see his toes...well...I feel sick! The only time I don't feel sick when I see naked toes is when I see them on children. When my almost 3 year old grand daughter is here, her naked toes don't bother me at all. However, for the past few months, I have painted them for her a few times. (non-toxic natual nail polish for kids).

I wonder if I am the only woman in the world who can't stand to see non-painted toes? I am sure there has got to be other females out there who feel the exact same way as me. Do you feel the same way? Do you need to keep your toes freshly painted or can you leave your toes naked?

Friday, April 27, 2012

How many of you are planting a garden this year? I know for us, we plant one every year! This year we are going to double our garden size and go all organic. Last year we got hit hard by hurricane Irene which really damaged our garden so we need to give it an extra boost this year.

We were checking out a company called Whitney Farms® and looking at their organic soil and their organic plant food as we think it's the boost our garden needs this year. Their products are all organic with no synthetic fillers or chemicals.

The company has been in business for over 25+ years so they know their gardening products and I think this is exactly what we need. We learned that their products have no manure smell, low to no dust, is easy to apply, contains beneficial microbes, and is specially designed to provide your plants with both macro and micro nutrients that they need to thrive.

I think using both the organic soil and the organic plant food would give us a bigger crop and it would definitely help us to consume healthier fresh produce since it is indeed organic. We don't want any nasty chemicals in our home-grown food supply.

I am really looking forward to getting our garden started next weekend as we will be planting green peppers, chili peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cantaloupes, green beans, lima beans, squash, zucchini, onions, carrots, broccoli and some cauliflower. What will you be planting this year?

If you would like to try the Whitney Farms organic soil and organic plant food, right now they have a money-saving coupon on their web site that will save you $3.00 which I think is fantastic. I am definitely going to be using my coupon! You can head on over there today and get your coupon too!

I would love to hear about your gardening plans for this year or any gardening tips that you can share with us. Please feel free to leave us some tips and comments below. Thanks!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

With spring's arrival many people look to getting their homes spring cleaned and masterfully organized. However, most people have great intentions on getting it done...but rarely follow through. Sometimes they don't start their projects at all or they will start them, but not complete them. .

Why? It may be because the big jobs seem too overwhelming to tackle, and you think it's not worth even trying if you don't have a whole week to dedicate to that one job. Another reason might be that some people just don't want to set aside the time to get the job done since the weather is now nice outside and they want to be outside enjoying it.

With that mentality, you're right - it will never get done! So let's change the way you look at big spring cleaning jobs. To make big cleaning jobs more doable, break them into doable chunks. Yes, it's worth it - don't be tempted to think that there's no use doing anything if you can't do it all at once. Here are some tips on how to break up those big jobs into smaller chunks to make them more manageable.

Motivate the Family to Help

Whether it's cleaning out the garage, attic, basement, bedrooms or cleaning up the back yard, big jobs are best done when every member of the household pitches in to help. It's almost never a case of one person's stuff - nearly everyone in the family has a mess somewhere, so delegating and asking each person to take care of his or her own mess is a start toward making it more doable.

Tips to Motivate the Family:

* Point out to each family member how much time and effort they will save for weeks and months to come when they can locate everything they need quickly and easily. Having everything cleaned up reduces stress and saves time.

* Note the unsanitary and even unsafe conditions that can come with accumulated clutter - vermin can infest it, mold can cover it, and clutter (especially paper) can be a fire hazard.

* Offer incentives like going out for dinner or having a fun take-out food and game/movie night party for everyone who pitches in to help. Incentives/Rewards are always a great motivating factor to get the family involved.

Host a Cleaning Party

For big jobs like cleaning out the basement or garage, it helps to elicit help from others. Make specific to-do lists and hand them out to your workers, breaking the big job down into smaller ones that can be done by individuals. And make sure you repay them: give out "coupons" for cleaning help at their house that you can come and do, and/or have everyone stay for dinner. .

List the Tasks That Need to be Completed

Sit down and make a list for each member of the family of what their responsibilities will be during the cleaning session. You will need to list each specific task and as it is completed ask that member of the family to cross it off the list. By providing a list to each family member they will know what they are responsible for doing and they will be able to see the "light" at the end of the tunnel as they get close to completing all of the tasks on their list.

If you are doing things in steps, it's going to take a bit of time. Give yourself and your family reasonable amount of time to get things cleaned up and organized. Once it has all been completed make sure you reward yourself and your family for a job well done.

My husband was a very busy beaver today and he spent quite a bit of time over at the house earlier today. (around 6 hours of time!). We have been slowly making some big and small home improvements to the house and some day, we will be moving into it. Right now, we have been renting out our house to my great auntie who is taking great care of it.

Today my hubby spent 3 hours mowing the front and back yards and using the weed whacker to get rid of the weeds. Oh my gosh, what a job that is since we have a big yard! After he was done with that he trimmed and pruned some of our bushes and finally got around to installing our brand new Rapid Reel Garden Hose Reel that we are reviewing for the Two Classy Chics review and giveaway blog. You will be able to see and read our full review on this product once we publish it on May 4th.

Next week we will be planting some new flowering bushes and some new flowers around the property and I am really looking forward to that. In 2 weeks will be starting our vegetable garden and as the season goes along, I will be blogging our garden progress.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Last year when hurricane Irene and tropical storm Lee came through our area they caused us a lot of damage. Most of the damage caused by those two storms was rain and flooding, although we did have some minor wind damage too.

Our backyard took a royal beating from both of those storms and the storms destroyed quite a bit. I had to trim back all of my rose and azalea bushes to near nothing. I wasn't expecting either one of them to bloom this season since I really had to whack them back.

Earlier this morning I was pleasantly surprised to walk out into my backyard and find one lonely blooming rose! yeah!!! I guess it's a start! I would absolutely love if that rose bush would come back to it's original glorious state so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will get a few more blooms this year.

Last year we got hit really hard by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Our yard and gardens took a royal beating, thanks to both of those storms. Once the storms were over, we spent several weeks making repairs and cleaning up your yard. My Azalea bushes were pretty dead looking so I decided to give them a good pruning. I wasn't sure if they would come back to life and bloom again or not.

Thanksfully this past winter was a very mild one for Pennsylvania so I think that really helped my Azalea bushes. About 10 days ago my bushes started blooming again and right now they are in full bloom.I have always loved Azaleas so I am pretty stoked about having them blooming again and looking so pretty! yeah! Hopefully this year, we won't get hit by any tropical storms or hurricanes!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

With the weather warming up across the country, it’s time to celebrate the official start of spring! After spending the past few months layered in bulky sweaters and sipping high calorie winter beverages it’s time to remove the layers and slash the calories with Slim and Sparkling Spring Cocktails from Sparkling ICE.

Disclaimer: We were given some cocktail recipes to share with our blog readers from the PR firm that represents Sparkling ICE to share with our readers. You must be 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages.

Friday, April 13, 2012

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Today I would like to introduce you to the product called Expand ‘n Gro™ Concentrated Planting Mix by the great folks over at Miracle-Gro. This is a new product that you will surely enjoy using. With the Expand 'n Gro you get these great benefits when using it in your vegetable gardens, flower gardens or just for regular plants and bushes:

* Up to 3X the vegetables and flowers (as compared to your native soil)* Helps to improve your soil for several years* Concentrated planting mix that expands up to 3X when mixed with water so it will go a long way.* Feeds your plants for up to 6 months!* The natural fibers hold up to 50% more water than regular potting soil. (love that!).

The Expand 'n Gro by Miracle-Gro is available for purchase at lawn and garden stores in the Midwest, Northeast and Texas. I am going to go out and see if I can find it here in Pennsylvania as my backyard garden needs some serious help this year. You can also find this fabulous product at Amazon.com.

Every year we plant a nice sized garden in our backyard. Last summer our garden didn't do too well which really shocked us as it has always done well in the past. This year I am determined to have a nice backyard garden again and I think the Expand 'n Gro could really help improve our soil which would improve our plants and give us a nicer and bigger harvest.

Right now on their site they are offering a $3 off Coupon for you to try this great new product. Just head on over to their web site to learn more about it and click on the link. What really interests me about this product is that it can be used in the ground or if you have plants that are in containers, you can also use it for container gardening or in your house plant's soil. The product is a natural blend of the famous Miracle-Gro plant food that has been combined with Coir, an all-natural coconut fiber

I am really looking forward to getting this product into my hands and into my vegetable garden this year. Please feel free to leave me a few comments about your gardening habits and tips as well as your thoughts about this new product and/or any of the Miracle-Gro products. Take a look at this video to learn more about how this product will work for you. Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

My almost wordless Wednesday photo for this week is a photo I took of my daughter, grand daughter and hubby on Easter. We had a great Easter dinner together and then got to play a game and build a puzzle with our grand daughter. In the photo she is holding her new snuggle bunny who she fell in love with as soon as I gave it to her. I love spending time with my family!

Monday, April 9, 2012

Some brides dream of their wedding day from the time they're old enough to play dress-up. Some even start making plans before they're engaged. But plenty of couples find themselves wanting to get married on a time-table that doesn't allow for meticulous planning.

If you're planning a wedding -- whether three weeks or three months out -- here are some challenges you'll face, and how to address them in a budget-friendly way. It's still one of the biggest days of your life, no matter how much time that goes into planning, and you deserve to have the most memorable and beautiful event you can imagine.

Challenge #1 - Venue
One of your biggest challenges will be finding a venue that's not already booked. However, you may find that some of the most economical places to marry aren't traditional wedding venues. Think private homes, city parks and even city hall. Contact your local visitors' bureau for ideas.

Challenge #2 - Dress
You won't have much time for alterations, which are costly anyway, so pick a dress that fits off the rack. David's Bridal often has a clearance section where you can pick a dress for $99. A bride friend of mine purchased two dresses off eBay in different sizes and simply returned the one that didn't fit. The other fit perfectly. (Make sure to check return policies first.)

Challenge #3 - Photography
Since many wedding vendors, including photographers, often book up to a year in advance you might have trouble finding one available on your day. Ask for recommendations from friends, but don't overlook local college students, who are more likely to shoot your wedding on a dime, work really hard and try newer, more modern treatments on your photos (if you'd like).

Challenge #4 - Food
The reception is always the most expensive and hard-to-plan-for part of your big day, so take the sting out by getting married in between meal times (afternoon, perhaps) and giving your reception a theme: like a dessert buffet. Or stick with cake, punch and simple finger foods. Instead of using a catering service, order from a local grocery store or, like bride Becki Fowler, from a big box retailer like Costco. "Everyone was surprised to hear our wedding was catered by Costco!" she told the retailer.

Challenge #5 - Registry
If you're marrying in a hurry, you probably don't have time to think about setting up a traditional registry. Spread the word among family and friends that you'd really appreciate cash (perhaps toward a large purchase you're hoping to make), or sign up for a gift card wedding registry at CardAvenue, where you can select gift cards to hundreds of national chains, like Home Depot or Crate&Barrel.

Challenge #6 - Officiant
If your state laws allow it, have a mutual friend get certified online. Other states let you marry yourselves but you can still have a friend (not certified) conduct the ceremony. Just check the appropriate box and the marriage license and voila! Husband and wife.

Challenge #7 - Flowers
Pick up stems from the grocery store or florist (which are cheaper than a formal bouquet) and arrange in mason jars (look at stores like Big Lots or Walmart for discount jars). Hand-tie bouquets to save on costly arranging.

Challenge #8 - InvitationsThere's no shame in your game if you use e-vites or Facebook to get the word out about your last-minute wedding and ditch mailed invitations. Evite.com has some great designs to elegantly convey your message without the cost. Keep in mind some folks might not use email or social media (like Grandma), so delegate a family member to make the necessary phone calls to relay the details.

Challenge #9 - Guest List
After the wedding you can send out formal wedding announcements (with a pretty photo from the big day) to everyone you know, but keep the big day itself small. The smaller your guest list, the cheaper your wedding will be, the less stress it will be to plan and the more intimately it will be remembered. If you want to include a large crowd in your celebration, organize a reception party when you have more time.

Challenge #10 - Travel
Don't feel pressured to jet off to your dream honeymoon when you barely have time (and money) to plan your wedding day. Just wait. Take your time to plan your dream vacation when funds are replenished and you've got the space to relax, plan and enjoy.

Weddings expert Cara Davis is the author of Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot and blogs from her home in Orlando, FL, about cheap ways to spend and save at CheapWaysTo.com.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

I just wanted to take a few minutes this morning to wish everyone a Happy Easter! We have a busy day planned today as the grand-wee-one is coming over for an egg hunt and for Easter dinner.

After she goes home later today, hubby and I have planned a romantic date night with dinner and a few movies. I love date nights & take advantage of them whenever I can! I hope everyone enjoys their Easter and remember what today is really all about. Have a good one!

Friday, April 6, 2012

I have been busy the past few days getting everything prepared for the upcoming Easter holiday. So much to do, so little time to get it done! Anyway, I went out to a few stores over the weekend and picked up a slew of Easter candy to fill up all of our Easter baskets with.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

I am a day late with my almost wordless Wednesday post this week and I apologize for that as I have been swamped with work all week long. My Almost Wordless Wednesday photo for this week is one of my grand-wee-one snuggling with her new "My Pal for Autism Awareness Bear" who has quickly become her new "best friend."

I love capturing innocent moments like this when she wasn't paying attention to Nanny with the camera. I love those type of shots!

Planning a brunch get-together for this Easter? With all of the delicious food that will surely be part of the celebration, it’s a great idea to start the day off on a light note with Slim and Sparkling™ Easter Brunch Cocktails. Traditional brunch cocktails are made with calorie-load juices. Save the calorie intake for dinner, and try these low-calorie recipes from Sparkling ICE. These light and refreshing cocktails with fruity flavors will make great additions to any brunch.

All of these cocktail recipes contain alcohol and are for adults age 21 years of age or older.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

We had a very mild winter this past season and the weather for the past 5 weeks has definitely been on the mild side here in Pennsylvania. For the first time ever, I had to turn my central air on two weeks ago and run it for 4 days straight, thanks to the 80+ degree days we were having.

I am NO fan of winter, actually...I hate winter because I am not a fan of snow, ice and cold temperature. I am really happy that spring has sprung early for us this year and that Groundhog Phil was WRONG with his prediction of 6 more weeks of winter. What a stupid groundhog, he totally got this year's prediction wrong! LOL

Earlier today I went out for a walk with my mommy walking group and we did 2 miles. We like to go out about 3 times a week and take walks together, which I always enjoy. Today we took in the beauty of all of the blooming flowers that we saw along our walk path.

Usually our springtime flowers don't start blooming until early April but this year they all started blooming the middle of March. When I say blooming, they are all in FULL BLOOM already this year! yeah!!!!

I am looking forward to Tuesday when we all go out for our next mommy walk and hopefully this time around we will see even more flowers in bloom. I just love them!